STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS OF RIBOSOMAL-RNA

Over the past two years, progress in X-ray crystallography, NMR spectr oscopy and electron microscopy has begun to reveal the complex structu re of the RNA within the ribosome. The structures of ribosomal protein s L11 and S15, among others, show how RNA-protein interactions organiz e the conformation of the junctions between ribosomal RNA helices. Gen etic and biochemical methods have also identified a three base-pair sw itch within the 16S rRNA that is linked to mRNA decoding.